just yet. You are not fit to rough it; besides we
couldn't lose both our boys!"

"But I must go if Dudley goes, I must!" and Roy's tone was passionate
now. "I won't have him go away from me--I've lost Rob, and that is bad
enough--You wouldn't take Dudley away from me, too, Aunt Judy!"

"Hush, hush, we will not talk any more about it now. He will not go
till after Easter, and that won't be here yet."

Miss Bertram was sorry she had broached the subject, when she saw Roy's
distress, and going downstairs sent Dudley up to play with him.

Later on when she was sitting with her mother in the drawing-room a
small head appeared. "May I come in, granny?"

It was Dudley, and his round and rosy face was unusually solemn.
Marching in he took up his position on the hearth-rug, his back to the
fire, and with his hands deep in his pockets, he turned his face rather
defiantly toward his grandmother.

"Granny, I'm not going to school without Roy."

"Hoighty-toity! What next, I wonder. Is that the way for little boys to
speak to their elders. You will do what you are told as long as you are
in my house, as your father did before you."

"It is your stepfather's wish," put in Miss Bertram; "you ought to be
willing to obey him."

"Not if he tells me to do something wrong. And I'm sure it would be
quite a wrong thing for me to go away from Roy. We have promised never
to leave each other till we grow up, and we don't mean to break our
promise. And, granny, I'm sure you don't like broken promises. Father
doesn't know about Roy, and he can't understand like I do, and it would
be very wrong of him if he took me away from Roy!"

Mrs. Bertram put on her glasses and inspected her little grandson with
searching eyes.

"That is a most disrespectful speech, Dudley. I shall of course uphold
your father's wishes."

"But, granny, I can't leave Roy. It will break his heart. You don't know
how he frets about his leg. He doesn't say much and is always so
cheerful, but he misses me most awfully even if I'm away for a day. If
he was well and strong, he could get on first-rate, but he wouldn't get
about half so much if I didn't take him. I think he would mope and mope
all by himself. And I don't think we could live without each other. You
won't send me away, will you?"

Tears were filling Dudley's blue eyes, but Mrs. Bertram looked
displeased.

"In my days, children never thought of arguing with their elders. I
think your aunt and I are as